Rotatable closure structure having yieldable locking means



Dec. 12, 1950 2,533,915

C. A. BROOKS ROTATABLE CLOSURE STRUCTURE HAVING YIELDABLE LOCKING MEANS Filed May 7, 1945 TIORNEY Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROTATABLE CLOSURE STRUCTURE HAVING YIELDABLE LOCKING MEANS Chester A. Brooks, Mission, Kane Application May 7,1945, Serial Ne. 59 2377 2 Claims.

This invention relates to closures of the per-- manently fixed type and. has for its primary aim to provide lids or covers for. receptacles that. may

be moved to and from anopen position without separating the same from the mouth. of the receptacle;

One of the important objects of this invention. is to. provide a closure structure for containers.

that is specially mounted to permit rotation and that cooperates with a part on the container as rotary motion is imparted. thereto, to the end that the container is effectively sealed when" This invention has for further aims and objects the provision of closure structure for containers wherein is included a cam groove on the container neck, pins on" the closure for engagement with. the cam groove, and a sufficiently thick and resilient cushion. between the closure and container for cooperating with the camand pins as the structure is. manipulated.

Other objects. of the invention will. appear during the course of the following. specification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a central sectional view through a closure structure made to embody the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through a closure structure made to embody a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a stretch out of the cam groove forming neck of the closure illustrated in Fig. 1.

Much efiort has been expended in producing a closure structure that will maintain the closure in assembled relation with the container with which it is associated, yet allow relative move ment between the closure and container for the purpose of selectively opening and closing the container for removing the contents of the lat-- ter. Objectionable costs, complicated mechanism. and devices usually out of order constitute, in the main, results of enort heretofore expended.

This invention aims to provide a closure structure that will be inexpensive, effective and positively acting through the exertion of a minimum amount of effort.

The form of the invention shown in Figs, ,1

It i.)

2 and? 2 is particularly useful with: collapsible tubes of conventional character and comprising a body: lillr terminating. in a neck lit, the latter being of somewhat more rigid construction than the ma terial from. which body iii is made.

Neck [2 is closed at its mouth by a wall it through which outlet opening or port it is provided for the passage or material that maybe stored in" body It. The outer annular periphery ofineck H'hasaserpentine groove is therein, the depth whereof is sufficient to receive the inner ends of a pair of pins 2! These pins carried by the skirt portion 22 of a cap till andare'iirge'd against the upper wall of groove l8 by the in.-

herent resiliency of the gasket 25 disposed between. wall M of neck l2 and the inner face of the top of cap 24. This gasket 2 has sufiicient strength to rnaintainits full thickness, to the end that the space between wall I l and the-inner side of tap 2 is completely filled when pins 26* snap into notches 23. These notches are in commu nicationwith groove I8 and are disposed a dis-- tance apart equal to the spacing of pins 2a. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, both pins 2i] and: notches Z8 arein diametricallyopposed. relation, and the curvature of groove I8- is. such. as; to have its portion between. notches; 28 curved upwardly toward the outer end of neck l2.

Openings 30 and 32 in gasket 25 and. cap 2 1 respectively, are of substantially the same cross sectional area as opening It in neck i2, and when pins 25! are in the position. shown in '1, openings [5, 3t and 32 are all in. register to open the container.

As cap 2d is rotated, pins 25! ride in groove l8 and friction upon the sealing gasket 26 is eliminated by a movement of cap 24 away from the end of neck 12. Cap 2l is moved against the neck when it has been rotated through 189", whereupon opening I6 will be closed by gasket 2% and. the body Iii sealed against the escape of material therefrom.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3, neck 553 is internally threaded to engage the threads of an ordinary fruit jar 52. Wl'llfih may be converted into a more handy container as the result of applying the closure structure thereto.

Neck 51! has a groove 54 formed therein which is of substantially the same contour as above described with respect to groove l8 and. detents 56 are positioned as illustrated in the stretchout of Fig. 4.

Cap 58 has a depending annular skirt 56 pro-- vided with diametrically opposed pins 52 and these pins ride in groove 54 as cap 58 is rotated. An opening or port 64 formed through the top wall of neck 50 communicates with the interior of jar 52 and is aligned with openings 86 and 58 in a gasket and cap 58 respectively, when the structure is manipulated to permit pouring of the contents of jar 52 through opening 84.

A coil spring 12 positioned at the axis of cap 58 rests in opposed sockets of cap 58 and neck 58 respectively, to prevent accidental displacement, and this spring maintains pins 62 against the upper edge of groove 54 and in notches 56 when cap 58 is fully opened or closed.

Gasket 10 is relatively thin and because of the size of the elements forming the structure illustrated in Fig. 3, is not relied upon to exert theforce required to maintain pins 62 in detents or notches 56. Gasket 10 is rigidly attached to the underside of can 58 and the same is true with respect to gasket 28, illustrated in Fig. 1.

Closure structure of the character described will remain assembled at all times, and accidental loss of the cap is thereby obviated. The manner of yieldably holding the caps in either of two stations results in a sufiiciently positive look without the necessity of separately manipulating such instrumentalities as have heretofore been employed in the nature of latches or set screws.

Pins 20 and 62 respectively are illustrated'as having a pressed fit, but any means of securing the pins in place will be satisfactory, so long as they are ecured against accidental removal.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Closure structure for containers comprising a neck having a cylindrical side wall provided with an external, serpentine, continuous groove; notches in communication with the groove; a cap having a fiat end wall and a cylindrical skirt, the latter being in circumscribing relation withthe cylindrical wall of the neck, said cap and the neck having superimposed end walls; radial, inwardlyextending projections on the skirt and formed to enter the groove; resilient means between the superimposed end walls of the neck and cap; an outlet port formed in the end wall of the neck;

4 and an opening formed in the end wall 01' the cap, said opening and port each being eccentrically positioned for registry when the projections of the cap are in the notches respectively, said resilient means comprising a spring interposed between said end walls of the cap and the neck respectively. 7

2. Closure structure for containers comprising a neck having a cylindrical side wall provided with an external, serpentine, continuous groove; a plurality of equally-spaced notches in communication with the groove; a cap having a flat end projections on the skirt and formed to enter the groove; resilient means between the superimposed end walls of the neck and cap; an outlet port formed in the end wall of the neck; and an opening formed in the end wall of the cap, said opening and port each being eccentrically positioned for registry when the projections of the cap are in the notches respectively, said groove being curved toward the resilient means along two diametrically-opposed portions thereof and away from said resilient means along two diametrically-opposed segments thereof, said notches each communicating with a corresponding segment of the groove at that edge thereof proximal to the resilient means and at the point thereon of greatest distance from said resilient means.

CHESTER A. BROOKS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Monnet May 18, 1943 

